Pitṛśarman
Pitṛśarman · pitṛ-śarman, “the one whose refuge is the pitṛs”
Pitṛśarman was an excellent brāhmaṇa of the Kali age, who knew the essentials of the Vedas and Vedāṅgas and was afraid of pāpa. The Pratisarga Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa tells of him in Sūta’s answer to the ṛshis, who asked to hear the greatness of brahmacarya. He chose the life of the gṛhastha (householder), received his wife by the appointment of Devī Jaganmātā, lived at Mathurā, and became the forefather of Vyāḍi, Mīmāṃsa, Pāṇini and Vararuci. Before King Candragupta of Magadha he declared that the restrained householder is the chief brahmacārī, and the king became his disciple.
His choice of the gṛhastha life
Seeing the terrible time of Kaliyuga, Pitṛśarman was very anxious and thought: by which āśrama will my good be secured? He reasoned that the path of saṃnyāsa has been broken in Kali by pride and false show, that vānaprastha is almost finished, and that brahmacarya remains only here and there, but that the karma of the gṛhastha is held the best of all karmas. So in this terrible age he should marry to keep gṛhastha-dharma, and if by fortune he found a wife whose conduct matched his own mind, his birth would be fruitful and auspicious.
To obtain a good wife he worshipped Bhagavatī Viśveśvarī, Jaganmātā, with sandal paste and the like, and began a stuti. He bowed to her as Prakṛti, as the one of the three guṇas, as Turīyā, and as Vidyā of pure sattva, Lakshmī of sattva and rajas, and Kālī. Pleased, Devī Jaganmātā said: “O best of the twice-born, I have appointed as your wife the daughter of the brāhmaṇa named Vishṇuyaśā.”
His sons and grandsons
Pitṛśarman married the daughter of Vishṇuyaśā and lived by gṛhastha-dharma at Mathurā. Four sons were born to him, knowers of the four Vedas:
| Son | His son |
|---|---|
| Ṛk | Vyāḍi, skilled in Nyāya-śāstra |
| Yajush | the world-famed Mīmāṃsa |
| Sāma | Pāṇini, master of Vyākaraṇa-śāstra |
| Atharvā | Vararuci |
The debate before Candragupta
Once the four grandsons went with Pitṛśarman to the assembly of King Candragupta, lord of Magadha. The king honoured them with great respect and asked: “Twice-born ones, which brahmacarya-vrata is the best?”
- Vyāḍi said that one intent on worshipping the Parama Purusha Deva according to nyāya is the excellent brahmacārī.
- Mīmāṃsa said that the excellent person who worships Brahmā and the other devatās in yajña, with rocanā and the like and with tarpaṇa, and takes the prasāda of Bhagavān Vishṇu, is a brahmacārī.
- Pāṇini said that one who worships Śabda-brahman with the svaras udātta, anudātta and svarita, or with speech as parā, paśyantī and madhyamā, and with the sūtra-pāṭhas endowed with liṅga, dhātu and gaṇa, is the true brahmacārī, and he alone reaches Brahman.
- Vararuci said that one who has received the upanayana, dwells in the gurukula, bears the staff, hair and nails, lives on bhikshā, is intent on the study of the Veda, and stays in the guru’s house according to the guru’s command, is called a brahmacārī.
- Pitṛśarman said: “One who stays in gṛhastha-dharma, honours the pitṛs, the devatās and guests, and with restraint of the senses approaches his wife only in the ṛtu time, he is the chief brahmacārī.”
The king said: “Svāmin, for the Kali age your word alone is fitting, easy and the best dharma. This is my view too.” He became the disciple of Pitṛśarman and in the end reached Svargaloka. Pitṛśarman, meditating on Bhagavān Śrī Hari, went to the Himālaya and became devoted to yoga-dhyāna.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 2, Chapter 30
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 2, Chapter 30